The Story So Far!

Despite my absence from these pages for the last couple of months, I've hardly been standing still. 

I'm still experimenting with different creative methods of building a presence for my Sean Callister books (starting with "I Really Like Hurting You").

I still believe that there's an audience for almost any book, if you can just find a way of connecting with the right people. Of course, while that may be accurate, there's still hard work ahead to find that unique road.

And there's also time.

So, where are we so far?

I Really Like Hurting You was released in December of 2022. I elected for a distribution plan that would make it available on Amazon (which also offers a paperback), and Smashwords as a conduit to almost every other platform. I also set up availability in the Google Play bookstore. A few of these were offered as giveaways on a couple of launch promotions, but I'm listing all of these as "sold" for ease of listing.

• I've sold a total of 57 copies on Amazon.
• I've sold a total of 6 on Smashwords and affiliates (including Barnes and Noble and Apple Books)
• I've sold a total of 3 NFT versions of the book on Readl.co (I've also sold on the same site 2 copies of "Shelf," the short story associated with the book)
• Zero Results on Google Play, by the way. I also offered an automated audio book on that site—but really as a way to add some accessibility.

Including copies that I've given away to various associates and friends on Twitter and Mastodon, I've sold about 75 copies so far, and it's rated well on Amazon (only three ratings) but I've had no reviews thus far. I had one great review on Mastodon, which I shared in a previous blog.

What now?

I'm committed to finding a pathway to a wider audience, so I'll keep experimenting.

• I'm giving away free copies of the paperback (if you're in the United States, let me know and I'll send you a copy) and of the ebook (same thing, and anywhere in the world) - all I ask is a review on whatever site you prefer. Reviews are the lifeblood for a new book by an unknown pseudonym...so until I can make that. happen, I'm limited in the effectiveness of marketing efforts.
• I'm tried using a couple of the promotions offered through Written Word Media, with some success. Again, without reviews, it's a story of diminishing returns.
• In addition to offering the book as an NFT, I'm also attaching it to a series of NFTs as unlockable content. Take a look at a listing for one of them.  In this case, the images fit into the theme of the book, but aren't directly related to the theme. Purchasing the unique NFT includes an ebook and PDF copy of the book. I just launched this effort; I'll let you know how it goes!

Here are two of the NFTs...

Onward!